IntroductionIf you play
40K long enough, you’ll eventually get the itch to play on some really
nice scenery like the kind you see in those White Dwarf battle reports.
40K is a visual game, and well-made terrain adds to your enjoyment of the
experience. Sure, you can have fun using just the dining room table and
some books stacked up to make hills, but if you can afford the time and
(minimal) expense to get some terrain, you owe it to yourself to give it
a try.

If you don’t
live near a store that has open gaming and lots of scenery on hand, you’re
going to have to get your own to use at home. You can make terrain yourself
(which saves money) or buy it (which saves time). Or you can, as I do,
take a middle ground: I make the easy stuff (boards, hills, rocks) and
save my money for tougher pieces (trees and rivers) that are, to me, too
much hassle to make.

I’ll limit
this discussion to making terrain; if you want to buy terrain, you can
find links to several good companies in the Beyond
the Jungle section.

If you’re like
me (who thinks painting an army is a chore), the thought of making terrain
probably brings one immediate thought to mind: “BOOOORRRING!” Terrain is
dull, right? Just hills and trees and rocks? Some ruined buildings, maybe
a section of river, maybe a wrecked vehicle? I mean, terrain is okay, and
useful for games, but all in all, not much to get excited about, right?

Well, terrain—like
everything else—can be dull if you let it. But if you put in a little creativity
and effort, terrain can be just as cool and interesting as the armies that
fight over it. Think about it: there are millions of worlds in the galaxy—who
says they all have to look alike?

While there's nothing quite
as cool as professionally-made terrain (like this table, above,
from
Baltimore Games Day 2001), you can easily and inexpensively
build decent terrain (below) to use at home.

Most of what
you'll see on the following pages is stuff I made at home, on a limited
budget of time and money. It isn't (and wasn't meant to be) anywhere near
as nice as what you'll see at gaming stores or in White Dwarf: this terrain
is “beer and pretzels” quality. You know, “good enough for government work,”
as the saying goes. So long as it looks halfway decent, I'm happy with
it, leaving me more time to spend on my armies.

In addition
to the homemade stuff, I've included (as inspiration) some photos of the
more interesting scenery I've seen at Games Day in Baltimore. If you have
the time and the talent, you might want to try putting together something
similar.